July 2013 archive

As a pastor’s wife, I get to hear stories. Stories of joy. Stories of pain. Stories of happy endings. Stories of devastation. It seems like there have been a LOT of sad stories lately. This is not really a surprise to me because I believe that New Vision is on the edge of a tremendous move of God and the enemy doesn’t like it! He’s going to take all the pot shots he can to bring distraction and discouragement.

The plan of the enemy is for us to be so focused on our circumstances and chaos around us, that we fail to see what God is doing.

Today’s Moment in Scripture gives hope to the hurting and courage to those who are afraid. God has given us a solution to the anxiety that so easily overwhelms us. He has given us a top priority for our to-do list.

WAIT for the Lord!

He says it so simply. And He says it TWICE. I think He means it! This word “wait” means to expect. When a mom is expecting a baby, she is excited. She is hopeful. She knows there is about to be a bundle of joy in her arms. When we wait for the Lord, we can be excited and hopeful that He has a plan and is going to come through for us! The enemy CANNOT conquer us; we are victorious through the cross. We can be strong and courageous in our hearts because God’s got this!

Stop for a moment. Stop the worrying. Stop trying to do it on your own. Stop manipulating the situation. Stop speaking negatively. And just wait. Allow God’s strength and peace to overwhelm you. Wait for the Lord!

Wasn’t it just a couple weeks ago the kids were singing “no more pencils, no more books . . .”? But, the new school year is just around the corner. Here are 3 tips to help you ease back into the new year.

photo credit: Alan Cleaver

1. Set bedtime 5 minutes earlier each night. One of the joys of summer is staying up late. If your kids are like most, they are firmly entrenched in a late to bed, late to rise schedule. Take the shock out of early school mornings by moving bedtime earlier each night until they are on their school-year schedule.

photo credit: Rubbermaid

2. If your kids take their own lunch, plan 5 or 10 days worth of lunches to rotate during the school year. Then make a list (and copies of it!) of everything needed to make their lunches and use it as you grocery shop. Make lunch the night before to save time and sanity in the mornings.

3. School supplies are at the lowest prices of the year, stock up now to save time and money later. Buy extra supplies to use later and don’t forget the holidays! Fun pencils, cool erasers, and tiny notebooks make great fillers for stockings. Another way to make the most of school supply sales is to save some for sharing. Every summer, New Vision and other churches hold back-to-school giveaways. Spend a little extra and help out kids who need it the most.

What are your tried and true back-to-school tips? Share your answer in the comments or on our Facebook page!

One of the greatest blessings Duane and I receive is seeing people surrender their hearts to the Lord. For some, they are accepting God for the first time. For others, they are recommitting their lives and looking forward to a fresh start. Whether you are a brand new Christian, a returning prodigal, a seasoned saint or anywhere in between, we can all gain something from going back to the basics.

It’s a bit hard to wrap your brain around, isn’t it? When we surrender our hearts to Him, accepting Christ as our Savior, the Bible says the old life is gone and a new life has begun.

But wait! I don’t FEEL any different!

One of the biggest lies of the enemy is that nothing has changed because you don’t FEEL different. Some people do, but most people don’t. The great thing is:

Salvation is not based on feeling.

Salvation is based on faith. Every part of your Christian life MUST be based on faith. Faith has been defined as “seeing with God’s eyes”. He sees you as a new creation. He sees an entire new life beginning for you. A life that is full of hope and promise. Choose to see yourself the way God sees you.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You died for me. Thank You for putting my past behind me and giving me a brand new life. Thank You for sending Your Spirit to empower me to walk in this new path as I continually surrender my heart to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

When we moved to Tennessee (almost 2 years ago!), we set up our furniture in the family room and it was clear that something more was needed in that room. We had a cute sofa and two of the ugliest (but comfortable) chairs you’ve ever seen. I didn’t trust myself to re-upholster them and they weren’t in the style I wanted, so Madison and I went shopping for chairs.

We had an idea of what we wanted for the room, we just had to find it. Living in Westmoreland makes shopping a bit more . . . interesting . . . than Orlando. In Orlando, I could be at 6 Home Good’s in a short amount of time. Plus, there were dozens and dozens of other stores to check out all within a few miles radius.

We were determined to come home with chairs. We drove to Hendersonville, to Rivergate, to Nashville, and finally to Brentwood before we found what we were looking for. A few times I told Madison, “Let’s just go home. We’ll try another day.” She made me keep going because she knew it was worth the search.

I believe that’s how God wants us to seek Him. Determined. Intentional. Desperate.

Sometimes He seems hard to find. Not because He moves, but because something in our lives is blocking the view. Maybe it is the lie of the enemy. Maybe it is the sin we have been harboring. Maybe it an attitude of apathy.

SEEK = To inquire for; to ask for; to solicit; to endeavor to find or gain by any means

But oh when we find Him! The Word promises that we will lack no good thing. Does that mean we get a new car, a bigger house, and a vacation to Fiji? Not exactly. When we truly seek the Lord, placing ourselves at His feet, He graciously gives us much more than material things. When we seek Him, we find peace, joy, and mercy. And more. Everything we ever need to live a life that is satisfying.

Take some time this week to seek the Lord. Don’t let fear, doubt, busyness, or other things distract you from finding Him. Set aside the things that are blocking your view and let Him lavish you with good things!